Congress MP now says he didn't see SC judge taking bribe

Under apparent pressure from his party over his `anti-judicary' comments, Congress MP K Sudhakaran has backtracked on his claim of being witness to Supreme Court judge allegedly accepting bribes in a case.

Virtually isolated within the party, the MP told a TV channel he had not seen the judge taking a bribe, but had 'definite' information that money was given to him by bar owners to get a favourable decision in a case some years ago.

However, footage of his speech at Kottarakara (in Kollam district) telecast by channels last week showed him saying he was witness to an Apex Court judge taking bribe.

Sudhakaran's statement sparked a raging controversy and the Congress leadership distanced itself from his controversial remarks.

After Sudhakaran's claim, a case was registered against him in a police station here on the charge of concealing facts about a wrong-doing he witnessed.

Sudhakaran had stated at a press meet yesterday that his intention was not to attack the judiciary, "but to express concern over unhealthy trends among certain sections of judicial officers.'

He had also said he would write to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explaining his position though nobody had sought any explanation from him.

Sudhakaran, who represents Kannur in the Lok Sabha, made the claim without naming the judge at a function organised to extend moral support to Kerala Congress-B leader R Balakrishna Pillai, who was recently sentenced to one year imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a corruption case.